Vaccination rate and symptoms of long COVID among dental teams in Germany.
作者信息
Mksoud Maria, Ittermann Till, Holtfreter Birte, Söhnel Andreas, Söhnel Carmen, Welk Alexander, Paris Sebastian, Melzow Florentina Sophie, Wiegand Annette, Kanzow Philipp, Rau Andrea, Kindler Stefan, Kocher Thomas
机构信息
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Plastic Surgery, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Str. 42a, 17475, Greifswald, Germany.
Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
出版信息
Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 21;15(1):13654. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-96670-8.
Although COVID-19 is no longer a global public health threat, its consequences persist, with long COVID affecting at least 10% of patients and manifesting in various organ systems. National and international health agencies promoted vaccination to enhance population immunity, prioritizing healthcare personnel due to their high occupational risk. In a previous study, we found that the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission among dental teams in Germany was not higher than in the general population. This follow-up investigation aims to assess the vaccination status and the prevalence and severity of long COVID symptoms among dental teams in Germany. As part of a follow-up investigation involving the original cohort, 267 team members from 186 German dental practices previously included in the initial study completed an online questionnaire. The questionnaire covered three topics: (1) vaccination status, (2) confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis, and (3) self-reported long COVID symptoms. One hundred and seventy-two dentists (64.4%), 74 dental assistants (27.7%) and 21 dental hygienists (7.9%) completed the questionnaire. In total, 245 participants (91.8%) were at least once vaccinated. A COVID-19 infection after January 1st 2021 was reported by 146 (54.7%) participants, of which 33 participants (22.6%) suffered from long COVID symptoms. Our results showed lower vaccination rates among dental auxiliary personnel compared to dentists (95.9% vs. 84.2%). Individuals with long COVID symptoms were more often dental assistants (48.5% vs. 29.2%) or dental hygienists (15.2% vs. 8.0%) than dentists (36.4% vs. 62.8%) compared to the group not reporting long COVID symptoms (p = 0.025). In addition, it is unlikely that dental healthcare personnel are more prone to experiencing more severe symptoms compared to the general population. Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is likely to help against symptoms of long COVID.